Blogging for the Gray Wolf

Great news for wolves.! The bad section of the House budget bill, 1713, has been exposed and HR 1 has failed. The House has already passed a new Continuing Resolution to keep the government running. It should pass the Senate easily today.

We can breathe a sigh of relief, the crisis has been averted, for now. There won’t be a vote later on this week that could have contained section 1713, which would have driven a stake through the hearts of Northern Rockies gray wolves.

Be vigilant, we can celebrate today but you can be assured there will be more bad delisting moves coming.

Watch how the budget negotiations play out over the next two weeks. The House passed a stopgap measure that will avert a government shutdown and extend the vote on the budget until March 18. We must remain vigilant and keep a close eye on what is included in the permanent budget bill the Senate negotiates.

I believe the power of our voices, raised as one, helped turn the tide. Thank you Wolf Warriors for your supreme efforts on behalf of wolves!!

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ALERT FROM “LIVING WITH WOLVES:

With Your Help HR 1 Has Failed

Less than an hour ago the U.S. Senate shut down HR 1! This budget bill, a Continuing Resolution, had seemingly countless riders attached to it, including the one written by Idaho Representative Mike Simpson. Without ever mentioning wolves even once, Representative Simpson’s rider (Section 1713), would have removed wolves from the protections of the Endangered Species Act and would have also prohibited the issue from any future judicial review. Your calls helped bring to the attention of the Senators reviewing this 359 page resolution what the cryptically written Section 1713 was about. Your efforts helped, your opinions were heard.

Wolves are no longer hidden in this budget bill, but it is eminent, that in the very near future there will be similar legislation introduced either in the form of another rider, like this one, or in the form of a freestanding bill, where once again the protection of wolves will be under attack again. So the battle over wolves on Capitol Hill continues, but today is a good day for wolves.

If you wish to follow-up and thank the Senators you contacted for today’s outcome, we have reattached the list of phone numbers below.

House passes stopgap funding to avert federal shutdown

By Felicia Sonmez

Updated: 4:40 p.m.

The House on Tuesday approved a stopgap measure that would keep the federal government funded through March 18 and cut $4 billion in spending by targeting programs that President Obama has already marked for elimination.

You know Nabeki, I think if it hadn’t been for our little grass roots movement, this would have turned out very differently. Now we need to fine tune our strategy and go forward. I do though, think we have learned a lot; I am just so proud to have been a part of all this. It’s nice to have happy tears for a change!!

It is nice to have happy tears.Thanks to everyone. The fight continues but tonight when I see the moon and have a little rest,I will be comforted to know that the wolves and the ones that love them,can rest all under the same sky.Thank you, Nabeki and to everyone that loves the Wild Ones.

I have to agree SCWG…today was a special day. After all the dark moments we’ve lived through together, over these many, many months, a ray of light is shining on wolves. I can’t imagine how dark things would have been for them if this nightmare provision had passed. I thought of Margaret Mead today:

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever does”

Thanks to everyone who picked up the phone and called key Senators. I heard the switchboards were jammed and a lot of those calls were in protest of Rep Mike Simpson’s (R-ID) ax attack on wolves and the ESA – the now infamous section 1713. Let’s work on building our wolf network into the millions. Let’s work together and help wolves.

I did email my senators and I actually got a positive response back. I was so relieved to hear 1713 died. I honestly got a cold sweat when it passed the house. I feel so frustrated that I cannot do more. There is so much misinformation and I want to change that.

IT’S STILL “CRUNCHTIME” IN MONTANA. This bill, if passed, will result in the slaughter of hundreds of wolves! Please email, call, speak…DO SOMETHING!!
MONTANA IS BACK ON THE ATTACK AGAINST WOLVES!! This bill will reduce wolf population significantly if passed.
VERY IMPORTANT MEETING THURSDAY IN HELENA!!! …I’ll be out of state and can’t attend. Those in Montana please try to attend.

Please Speak Up For Wolves in Helena !

On Thursday, March 3, the Montana Senate Fish and Game Committee will hear testimony on HB 471, a bill that sets a maximum wolf population in the state at 15 breeding pairs. This bill would significantly reduce wolf populations in Montana !

We believe wolves should be managed like other native wildlife, as a valuable part of Montana ’s wildlife heritage, not as pests to be destroyed.

Please email the Senate Fish and Game committee in Helena and urge them to VOTE NO on HB 471.

Background on HB 471 (Sponsored by Rep. Dan Kennedy).

HB 471 sets and artificial cap on the number of wolves in Montana , by capping the number of breeding pairs at 15.
HB 471 will override Montana’s wolf management plan—a plan that was derived after an extensive and open public process that included Montana sportsmen, conservation groups, ranchers and many others.
Overriding Montana ’s federally-approved Wolf Management Plan will only delay the day Montana gets to manage wolves.
Please OPPOSE HB 471
Nearly a dozen other wolf-related bills have already been drafted in Helena , and more are on their way. Besides increasing the killing of wolves in Montana , these bill hearings provide a forum for anti-wolf types to vilify wolves, carnivores, and endangered species generally.

That is why your legislators in Helena need to hear from you!

**Please contact the Senate Fish & Game Committee and let them know you value wolves in Montana and the Northern Rockies **

If you are in Helena on Thursday, please attend the hearing at 3pm in Room 422.

You can also call the capitol at 444-4800 and leave a message for the Senate Fish and Game Committee.

A handful of special interests are falsely blaming wolves for killing too many elk and livestock. In fact, elk populations have INCREASED 60 percent statewide in Montana since wolves were reintroduced and 18 percent in the region. Furthermore, livestock lost to wolves represent less than 1 percent of livestock losses in the Northern Rockies .

It’s time to put the scare tactics aside, and manage wolves based upon reality, reason, and science.

I’ve pasted some more talking points below. Please feel free to put them into your own words. Also, if you would like to attend a hearing at the Capitol in Helena , please contact me for more information.

Thank you for speaking up for wolves and Montana ’s wildlife heritage!

Well, the battle to keep wolves safe is not over. We all know that. Today a long time environmental friends told me that “many moderate groups” are tired of the wolf wars, want them delisted and have other chips to play. So it looks like it’s going to be up to a new generation of wolf advocates to keep more than a bare minimum of wolves in the N Rockies. That said, I believe groups like Defenders, NRDC, WWP, Earthjustice won’t give up on wolves. Did I miss someone?

In addition to contacting Senators and Representatives, everyone who loves wolves needs to think about what they eat for lunch. We can’t control the fact that hunters want wolves dead, but we can decide what we put on our plates. I’ve completely given up eating beef. If you reduce the demand for beef you also reduce some of the conflict with wolves.

Forever Wild…..thankyou for your comment. You’re so right.. Rather hypocritical to eat cow meat and then whine about wolves being killed.
Until the political and economic power of the livestock industry is broken, I’m afraid that predators are going to have a hard time.
Please post your comment on the “wolf warriors” facebook page. Some over there need to hear it also.

Right,they say that they are the true stewards of wild life.Who are they kidding,only themselves. They are far from it.The African lion is losing it’s habitat like everything else.Let’s not forget that they keep defending” their hunting heritage”.Yes way back in my family history, and I do mean way back,My ancestors both hunted and gathered but they probably couldn’t just depend on elk,deer,or big game to eat,and had to settle for smaller animals. You wouldn’t be mounting heads on the wall or over a fireplace for decoraton. Habitats are disappearing and these hunting clubs are so self serving, only to be worried about what they wont be able to kill..When all is gone..What is left.ourselves..

This blog is dedicated to the memory of Wolf 253, the beloved Yellowstone Druid wolf named Limpy, who was shot and killed in March 08, on the very day ESA protections were lifted for the gray wolf, by the then Bush Administration.